The Ranch on Route 12
by EnnaArik
Summary: Leah Tracey has lived her entire life at the Tracey Family Pokemon Ranch, rescuing and caring for Pokemon, but harbors desires beyond the simple life she's been content with.
1. Chapter One

_**In the Kanto Region along Route 12, South of Route 11 and North of 13, is a Pokémon ranch ran by two sisters. Together they rescue Pokémon; wild and injured with nowhere else to go, and lonely abandoned Pokémon with no one to care for them. They care for them, feed them, and if they wish to stay the sisters help them find new trainers.**_

_**The oldest sister, Andrea Tracey, is eighteen although her height suggests a younger age due to that fact she stands merely at five feet, five inches. She has dirty blonde hair that reaches passed her shoulders but she prefers to keep it styled in a messy bun. Her eyes are a bright shade of sky blue, and she likes to wear brown eyeshadow to accent the color. Her frame is a bit slender and her complexion a soft tan. She devotes her entire life to the ranch. Her personal mission is to make sure the ranch remains finically stable in order to support the Pokémon that remain under their care**_

_**The younger sister, Leah Tracey, is sixteen and is almost as tall as Andrea. Like her sister she has a soft tan complexion although her body frame is a tad curvier. Like her sister she also has the same bright sky blue eyes but doesn't like wearing any eyeshadow, or any makeup for that matter. Leah's hair is much, much longer and almost reaches the middle of her back and is a much darker shade of a mocha shade of brown. Leah cares for the Pokémon as well as embarks on the rescue missions that follow tips from travelers in regards to possible injured Pokémon. She has an incredible gift to soothe and calm Pokémon. While her work is incredibly important, she yearns for much, much more...**_

Leah woke up as soon as the morning light broke through the space between her curtains and shined across her bedroom floor. She stayed in bed even after she first woke up, afraid too much movement this early might stir her Growlithe and Eevee that slept at her feet. As slowly and quietly as she could she tossed the covers from over her body and stepped down onto the hardwood floor beneath her. Like every other morning no matter how sneaky she tried to be when getting out of bed, the moment her feet touched the floor her Growlithe, named Hudson, popped right on up and howled as he woke up. Following the routine Eevee, named Lady, would also wake right after. "Well good morning." Leah sighed as she petted them both.

"Leah, you awake?" Andrea called from the other side of Leah's bedroom door.

"Yeah, just got up." Leah shouted back.

The bedroom door opened and Andrea stepped in. Andrea was already dressed for the day, wearing a white baseball tee with baby blue sleeves to her elbows and blue denim capri pants with a brown belt that matched her favorite pair of flat slip on shoes. In the corner of her shirt that was a baby blue Pokémon League logo and curved words to circle it that read, Tracey Family Pokémon Ranch. "Hudson, Lady, I have breakfast ready down stairs." Without a moment of hesitation Hudson and Lady both hopped of Leah's bed and scurried along to go eat.

"Is Pidge already out?" Leah asked, taking an obvious notice to the lack of her Pidgeotto in her room where she usually sleeps on a special homemade perch near the window.

"Left when I woke up." Andrea stated simply. "She should be back soon for breakfast." Pidge always scouted out the woods before Leah would start her hikes to find any potentially harmed Pokémon that were in need of her care. "Get ready, we have a full day ahead of us. Open house starts at noon."

Open house was once a month and it was Andrea's biggest day. She spent weeks preparing and promoting in hopes of finding good homes and trainers for the Pokémon who were ready to leave the ranch. They would get travelers from Vermillion City, Lavender Town, even Fuschia City in hopes of finding the perfect Pokémon.

Open house or not, Leah still always went out for a searching hike. As soon as Andrea left she started to get ready. She wore a baseball tee similar to Andrea's, only her sleeves were a plum color to match her favorite plum belt. When she went out on hikes Leah always wore a pair of tall black laced up hiking boots over the fabric of her darker blue denim jeans. Leah wasn't one for jewelry but there was one bracelet she never left her room much less her house without wearing, it was a silver charm bracelet with Pokémon shaped charms for each of her personal Pokémon; Growlithe, Eevee, Pidgey, and a Pidgeotto for when Pidge first evolved. She tied her hair into a low pony tail and grabbed her duffle bag stocked with random medical supplies and food that she may need and headed downstairs to eat before going out.

The ranch had two separate houses and a barn. The first floor of the main house had the office in the front, and the sisters living quarters in the back that consisted of their family room and kitchen, and other things of that nature. Upstairs could only be accessed by the back of the house, which was where the bedrooms were. The second house was also two stories. The first floor was basically an open area where the Pokémon were fed and played with varies toys. There was one room section off that served as the medical room. Upstairs was were all the Pokémon slept in custom built bunks although there were some Pokémon too big to sleep in the house and had to stay in the barn.

Hudson, Lady, and Pidge were the only ones who stayed in the main house. When Leah entered the small dining room for breakfast she saw all three of her Pokémon already eating their Pokémon food out of their bowls labeled with their names. The table was set and filled with all sort of choices as Andrea often liked to go all out for breakfast since it was the most important meal of the day. There were pancakes, waffles, sausage, bacon, omelets, bagels, and ham. Sometimes when Andrea wasn't looking Leah often sneaked a few bites for Hudson-he loved breakfast food.

"I think Pidge might have found something while she was out this morning." Andrea mentioned as she started to clear the table after they finished eating. "But don't be gone too long, we have to finish getting everything ready for the open house."

"I know, don't worry." Leah rolled her eyes. "But you'll have Hudson and Lady to help while I'm gone."

"I need Pidge too, to help me hang the welcome banners." Andrea argued.

"But I need her to show me where she saw any injured Pokémon." Leah insisted.

"Fine," Andrea said after a roll of her eyes. "But hurry."

"I'll be back before you know it." Leah fled from the kitchen table, Pidge accompanying her as went outside. In front of the house in the small driveway was Leah's bike. It wasn't anything really fancy, and it was only a dull grey color, but she lived it. It had an attachment on the back for her duffle bag and a basket in the front to carry any small injured Pokémon. She brought a walkie talkie with her in case she came across any Pokémon too large for her to carry back on her own. "Ready to show me what you found?" Leah asked Pidge as she mounted her bike. Pidge squeaked before flying up off the ground and leading Leah North on Route 12 towards Route 11.


	2. Chapter Two

Pidge went maybe two miles down the road before stopping, and since there were no Pokémon in sight, Leah assumed that meant the injured Pokémon was in the surrounding forest. Leah took a bike chain from her duffle bag and hooked her bike up to a nearby tree. She also took out a strap to attach to her bag so she could cross it over her and wear it like a messenger bag as she continued forward. Leah followed Pidge as she flew slowly while keeping her eyes forward. When Pidge finally landed she flapped her wings forward to signal the Pokémon was just ahead. "Alright girl, you stay here." Leah instructed just before Pidge flew up to perch herself up in a tree. Leah preferred to keep Pidge out of sight when she tried to help wild Pokémon, trying to make sure the wild Pokémon knew she meant no harm. Yet at the same time Leah liked for Pidge to stay within earshot in case the wild Pokémon attacked.

Leah continued forward very cautiously, and as she moved passed a line of berry bushes she saw an Ekans laying helplessly on the ground. The Ekans was bruised and beaten but as weak as it looked up, as soon as it saw Leah it freaked out. It squirmed and hissed, and tried to slither away but it was so slow and tired that it didn't make it far before it just stopped again. "You poor thing," Leah whispered to it as she removed her bag and placed it on the ground. "You don't have to run, I'm not going to hurt you." Leah got down on her knees and reached out to the Ekans very slowly. "I want to help you." The Ekans looked back at Leah with tired eyes and hissed again. Leah brought her hand back and went for another approach. "Are you hungry?" She unzipped her duffle bag and took out a container with some Pokémon food. "I don't have much." She opened the cap and flipped it upside down to pour a few bits of food onto it and pushed it towards the Ekans. She watched as the Ekans twitched slowly as it started to slink towards the food.

She examined the Ekans as closely as she could while it ate; it didn't seem to have any opened wounds that needed to be treated, but she could tell it had taken a pretty bad beating and would need medicine for the pain it must have been it; medicine she didn't have on hand. "You know, I could help with the pain." She insisted to the Pokémon as it ate slowly. "And it won't hurt at all." She furthered attempted to convince the Pokémon. "I can get you back feeling better in no time, and I have plenty more food back at my ranch." The Ekans looked up at her after finishing off the food, a certain longing in its eyes. Leah held her hand out again, reaching towards the Ekans slowly, "Just come with me for now, you can leave as soon as you're feeling better if you'd like." The Ekans lifted its head and pressed up against Leah's hand and nuzzled her softly. "So will you come with me?" The Ekans nodded and scouted closer to Leah, resting itself against her lap as she held its head in her hands. "Well then, let's get going."

Once back at the bike, Ekans coiled itself up in the basket in the front as Leah peddled back to the ranch. Pidge flew past overhead, passing Leah to get to the ranch first. When they got back Leah took Ekans straight to the medical room to treat its pain. Whenever she brought new Pokémon to the ranch, she kept them in their own room away from all the other Pokémon until it felt comfortable. She took Ekans to the vacant room and fed it more. Usually Leah liked to stay with the Pokémon to keep them company until they felt safe, but since today was open house she wouldn't have time.

"I have to go for a bit to help with a few things, but I promise as soon as I'm done I'll come back, alright?" She told Ekans after it finished a second plate of food. Ekans nodded simply before coiling up into a soft fluffy Pokémon bed in the corner of small room. "Lady, my Eevee, is going to keep you company until I get back." Lady trotted in on queue and squeaked softly at Ekans who didn't seem to react negatively at all which was a good sign. "I'm also going to lock the door when I leave so no one can disturb you." Leah informed Ekans to make him feel safe as she left.

She helped Andrea finish putting up all the decorations and setting out all the snacks and refreshments in the office for the guests. A few of the ranches interns also came to help lead the tours of the ranch since Andrea and Leah would be spending most their time in the office entering the guests and running the adoption registration. Andrea put yellow collars on all the Pokémon available for adoption while Leah changed out of her hiking boots and put on a pair of purple high top sneakers. Then all three of the interns showed up on time, all wearing the same baseball tees but with yellow sleeves. Then at noon the guests all started to arrive.

This was the one time of the month Leah had to act like she preferred the company of people over Pokémon. Andrea on the other hand, didn't have to act much. She often got lonely out here without people to talk to besides Leah, and enjoyed seeing so many humans in one place.

After the interns finished up the tours and showed off all the available Pokémon it was time for the Q&A. All the guests gathered in the top loft of the barn which had the most open space to accommodate them all as Andrea and Leah stood up in the front of them. Andrea then began, "I'd like to thank you all for coming out today, we really do appreciate your time and I'm sure the Pokémon all appreciate your consideration. For my sister and I nothing makes us happier than helping sweet Pokémon find good homes and trainers. Some of these Pokémon were rescued by my sister, some were abandoned others injured by other wild Pokémon. Other Pokémon come to us by trainers or homes unable to properly provide for them. No matter how they arrive, we always make sure they leave healthy and happy. Whether they choose to go back into the wild or wish to be adopted, we care for them and treat them the best we can.

Before we began the Q$A I'd like to give you a brief history of our ranch. It was our great grandmother that founded this ranch and earned an official Pokémon League adoption facility certification. Her daughter started the search and rescue department and then became certified by the League as an official Pokémon Center, which gave her an official license to purchase all the proper medical equipment needed to treat severely wounded Pokémon. When our mother took over the ranch she began the process to start an official League certified Pokémon nursery, which I've been working to bring to reality. In four generations the Tracey family has grown this ranch into a sanctuary for Pokémon and we hope you all appreciate our work as much as the Pokémon we care for."

There was applause among the guests before the questions started coming. Most all the question as usual were for Andrea, and Leah just stood there acting the part of supportive little sister. Then there was a question for Leah out of the blue, "How do you find the injured Pokémon out in the wild all by yourself?"

"Well I can't take all the credit, my Pidgeotto will often scout ahead for me and lead me to any harmed Pokémon she finds."

"That must be some bird."

"I'd like to think so." Leah tried to sound as natural as she could but she could tell most people were aware of how uncomfortable she was.

"Any other questions?" Andrea cut in, coming to her sisters rescue as she often did. The Q&A didn't last much longer, and soon the entire event ended on a high note; eight adoptions and several generous contributions to help expand the ranch.


	3. Chapter Three

"I don't like the way he lingered on the subject of Pidge." Leah mused out loud as they cleaned up after the open house.

"Don't worry so much about it, it was harmless." Andrea insisted. "I'm sure he was just showing interest to be polite."

"I somehow doubt that." Leah argued.

"Why don't you go check on the Ekans, I can finish this up." Andrea suggested.

Leah didn't even hesitate before dashing from the office to head to the Pokémon house. Whenever there was a new Pokémon at the ranch Leah always seemed to have a fresh excitement about her. The concept of getting to know new Pokémon, learning about their behaviors and habits thrilled her. She loved to study Pokémon, get to know them in a way others didn't seem to care much for so she could really help them bring out their best.

Leah stopped by the kitchen in the Pokémon house to get some fresh food for Ekans and Lady. When Leah got to the room she found them both snuggled up in the bed and sleeping peacefully. She was happy to see Ekans adjusting so easily. The moment she sat the food bowls down they both seemed to pop right on up. Lady trotted on over to her bowl while Ekans slithered to his food. "Ekans," Leah began, "We should get you another dose of medicine to help with the pain so you'll be able to sleep through the night." Ekans looked up at her and hissed softly, but less in a threatening way and more in a way of agreement. After they both finished up eating Lady went back to the main house and Leah carried Ekans to the med room.

Leah treated Ekans with another small dose of pain medication and some vitamins to help him regain his strength. When she took him back to the room she burned some soothing scented candles to help him sleep. He was a lot weaker than what she had first expected, but he was strong too and she was certain he'd get back to better in no time.

Leah showered and went to bed with Hudson and Lady at her feet while Pidge rested on her perch. It was a pleasant day; new Pokémon to care for and contributions to the ranch. A full day of work deserved a long night of rest. Leah snuggled in nice and tight into her bed and it didn't take long for her to drift off into a gentle sleep.

Then there was a crash. Leah shot up in her bed and Hudson growled as he bolted off the bed. It was dark, but Leah could see a soft light shining in her bedroom and footsteps on the floor. "Who's there?" Leah shouted just before a flare of fire went shooting out of Hudson's mouth, illuminating the room and Leah saw a single figure in the darkness wearing all black with a mask over their face. They shouted in pain as Hudson's flames scorched their legs. That was when Leah noticed the bag in their hands, a bag with something moved and squawking inside. "Pidge!" Leah screamed at the top of her lungs as she tossed her blankets aside and jumped up.

The moment Leah got up the figure tossed a pellet on the ground that released a smog that blinded Leah. When the smoke cleared Andrea busted in the door and Leah saw the vague figure dashing across the back yard of the ranch after jumping from the window that had broken when they first got in. "Leah, are you ok?" Andrea shouted.

"They took Pidge!" Leah scream, feeling the tears swell in her eyes. "They took Pidge!" She dropped to her knees, feeling weak and helpless.

"I'll call the Ranger station." Andrea dashed out of the room. "Check on the others!" Andrea shouted as she dashed down the hall.

Leah hadn't even given a though to the others, but Andreas reminder made her recall. Without another moment to waste she got back up on her feet and rushed out to the Pokémon house. She ran through all the rooms, and everyone was accounted for-except Ekans.

Pidge was capable. Leah had no doubt Pidge would escape in no time, but Ekans was still so weak. Without even given much thought to the situation, Leah bolted in the direction she had seen the thief run. Then she heard a scream, a human scream, and she ran faster mostly at this point out of curiosity. As she ran through the darkness she came to a clearing with the moonlight shining down and she saw Ekans with his body coiled around the thief's legs. The thief was struggling to get free and in the thief's attempt to get free it lost its grip on the bag and Pidge sprung free. Pidge landed on the thief's head and pecked at them until they seemed to just pass out.

"Leah!" Andrea's voice called out in the darkness.

"Over here!" Leah turned and she could make out Andrea's figure running with Hudson at her side, barking furiously.

"Are you alright?" Andrea asked as she got closer, taking view of the sight of Ekans and Pidge taking down the thief.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Leah sighed softly as she cautiously approached the thief to check their pulse. "Well they're alive, but Ekans and Pidge knocked them out." Curiously, Leah reached for their mask and pulled it off and when she saw the man from the open house that had shown interest in Pidge, she honestly wasn't surprised.

Angry, Leah stood and tossed the mask onto the ground, turning back to Andrea, "Harmless? You said it was harmless!" Andrea seemed confused until she got a better look at the thief's face.

"Leah how on Earth was I supposed to know this would-"

"Did you even run a background check?"

"He didn't want to adopt, you know we can't afford checks on everyone who walks through our door." Andrea insisted. "We can argue about this later, but for now we need to get him back to ranch for the Rangers."

"We can't carry him back on our own, you take Hudson with back to the ranch in case there are any others out there. Get the jeep, I'll make sure he stays put until you get back." Leah insisted. Andrea didn't say anything after that, she just took off. Leah sat on the ground with her back up against a nearby tree as she kept her attention glued on the thief.

As Pidge stayed perched atop the thief's head, Ekans slithered on over to Leah's side and rested his head on her lap. Leah sighed softly and placed her hand gently on Ekans' head. Her frustration with the whole situation had made her forget that she had assumed Ekans had been taken yet only Pidge had been in the bag and the thief hadn't been carrying any other bags. She looked down at Ekans with sudden realization, "You went after the thief, didn't you?" Ekans hissed softly and snuggled his head against Leah's belly. "What a stunning creature you are."


	4. Chapter Four

When Andrea returned to the meadow her and Leah worked together to heave the thief up into the back of the jeep and made sure to tie him up in case he woke up on the ride back to the ranch. There were two Rangers waiting when they got back to the ranch with the thief. The Rangers identified him as a known member of Team Rocket; he had made an appearance recently in Saffron City where he posed as a League Gym inspector in order to steal Pokémon from gyms.

"He always puts on a front in order to gain access to facilities with large quantities of Pokémon, and then he scoops out which ones are worth the most value and snatches them. He doesn't tend to use the same alias twice which is why we haven't been able to catch him." One of the Rangers, a tall dashingly handsome individual with ridiculously dreamy green eyes and a dark tanned named Taren informed them. "This little Ekans here seems to have saved the day."

"That's a pretty extraordinary Pokémon you got there." A tall, pretty blonde with ocean blue eyes who seemed to be pretty chummy with Taren stated; her name was Zoe. "You're pretty extraordinary yourself Ms. Tracey."

"I have to agree with my partner." Taren added-the more Leah looked at him the more she had to resist the urge to swoon. His tussled black hair was all messy and gorgeous, and his squared chin was strong and chiseled. "Chasing after him the way you did was pretty brave Ms. Tracey."

"You can call me Leah." She tried to act completely normal, as if Taren didn't give her butterflies in her stomach.

"Well," Zoe coughed awkwardly, elbowing Taren trying to be subtle. "We need to get going."

"Right." Taren cleared his throat. "Well Ms. Tracey, Leah," Taren nodded politely to each Leah and Andrea, "We should get him somewhere where we can hold him properly."

"Well thank you both, again." Andrea stated. "We really appreciate it."Taren and Zoe headed out in their own jeep with the thief handcuffed in the back. Once they were down the road Andrea couldn't help but giggle and playfully shove her sister, "You thought he was cute, didn't you?"

"What?" Leah tried to act as shocked as possible. "How could you think such a thing?"

"I have a very good way of telling exactly what you're thinking, and right now you're wishing we'd get robbed more often."

"I should really go check on Pidge." Leah insisted, desperately trying to get out of this conversation knowing too much talk would lead Andrea right in the direction she was already heading. Leah headed up to her room where Pidge was snuggled up on her bed, nuzzling up against Hudson and Lady. Leah sat on the edge of her bed, reaching over to rest her hand gently on top of Pidge's head. She stroked Pidge's feathers softly until she chirped awake and looked up at Leah. "How you feeling girl?" Pidge squeaked and yawned. "You and Ekans did great out there." Leah looked down at her lap, sighing softly, "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

Pidge popped right on up chirping as she fluttered her wings. Hudson and Lady woke up to the commotion and gave their attention to the situation. "I just stood there at first. It wasn't until I saw Ekans was gone I started running after the thief. I feel so guilty for not having the same reaction after you got snatched. But I thought you'd be strong enough to escape on your own, I knew I trained you well. Still, I should have ran after you. I don't want you to think I don't care about you, because I do. I'd do anything to make sure you knew that." Pidge pecked Leah's hand and gawked at her in a sense of anger, but less about Leah's confession and more towards Leah's guilt; as if Pidge was telling her she shouldn't feel bad about it.

The excitement of the night died down and everyone returned to their beds, except for Hudson. He remained wide awake, posted at Leah's broken bedroom window as if to watch guard for any other intruders. Hudson was incredibly protective of Leah and all her Pokémon, especially Lady. He remained there all night, keeping watch outside and occasionally turning to check on Leah and the other Pokémon as they slept peacefully.

In the morning Andrea's first order of business was to find someone to come out and repair Leah's window as soon as possible since there was a huge storm forecasted to come in that night. While Andrea was seeing to the repairs, Leah was tending to the Pokémon. After breakfast and a little bit of play time, Leah led personalized exercise routines for whichever Pokémon choose to take part. Leah held these sessions in the top loft of the barn and in the backyard for some of the bigger Pokémon; she dreamed of maybe one day building an actual gym, but that seemed like a distant desire since Andrea's nursery would surely come first right next to expanding their single medical room into a full wing to help bring in more Pokémon.

The ranch had plenty of space to accommodate all these dreams. A fully functioning medical wing, a peaceful nursery to raise young Pokémon, a gym to help wild and injured Pokémon get stronger, even a small inn for traveling trainers to stay overnight while their worn out Pokémon regained their energy. The Tracey family always dreamed big, and expansion was one way they sought to achieve those dreams. But sometimes Leah yearned for something less pre-paved. She loved working at the ranch and caring for injured or sick Pokémon, but she also loved training them. She had developed her personal training method with her own Pokémon and was proud of the accomplishments they had all made and was eager to show the world how a strong bond with Pokémon could result in an excellent relationship between master and Pokémon; but that wasn't something she could do at the ranch.

As the day went on, Leah found herself lingering more on the thought of the thief from last night. What if he would have succeeded? Pidge had been Leah's first Pokémon, and she had promised Pidge from the moment they decided to be together that they'd go see the world together, traveling across the Kanto region and maybe more. But if that thief would have made it, Leah would have never gotten that chance. The thought of losing Pidge pained Leah, but the thought of never fulfilling her promise hurt worse. She wanted to leave the ranch, more than anything, and travel but the longer she stayed the more she was sucked in. She was starting to fear she'd never get a chance to leave and that was more frightening to her than anything.


End file.
